Arizona slayings spark gun control debate, but major legislation unlikely
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Senator Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., is expected to introduce similar legislation in the Senate, saying in a statement that high-capacity clips should not be on the market, as those using them intend to kill many people in a short time period.
Aside from Democrats, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., is expected to introduce a bill that would ban gun owners from bringing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a government official.
Public support for gun control
In recent years, polls indicate that the number of people calling for stricter gun laws has declined, although that group still constitutes a majority.
Some experts said that as politicians have tried to make gun control an issue, it has resulted in the mobilization of those favoring fewer gun laws, prompting them to head to the polls in larger-than-usual numbers.
As a result, gun control advocates have backed away from the issue in their campaigns.
In the wake of the Arizona shootings, Americans seem divided on gun control. According to a recent CBS poll, 47 percent favor tighter gun laws, 36 percent believe they should remain the same and 12 percent support less strict laws.
The percentage of respondents favoring more stringent gun laws is up a marked 7 percent from a poll conducted in March last year. Still, support for gun control is lower than it was in 2002, when 56 percent of those surveyed favored strong gun laws.
Arizona shootings not the first time
The nation has seen other high-profile killings over the last decade or so. In 2007, university student Seung-Hui Cho went on a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, killing more than 30 people before committing suicide.
Perhaps the most notorious case, however, happened in 1999 at Colorado' s Columbine High School, when students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered the school with numerous weapons including a semi-automatic rifle and homemade bombs. The two went on a killing spree that left 12 students and one teacher dead and wounded two-dozen others before the pair killed themselves.
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